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<p>I wanted to test Vodacom's Parental Control service on my phone to see if I should change my kids from Cellc network to Vodacom because having a smart phone exposes them to everything that I don't want my kids to have access to. Well what a total bad idea that was. I activated it beginning March , and once activated you are advised that the only way to deactivate it is to take your ID to a Vodacom customer care shop .Well my Internet was immediately useless to me - couldn't open any sites not even Woolworths Foschini etc - not even Vodacom site. This didn't phase me much because I don't really use my phone for Internet and thought ok I dont want my child accessing the Internet either this could work. After about a week however it started blocking my apps - Facebook , TakeALot wouldn't open , WhatsApp wouldn't send nor receive images videos or audio - only text. Now I became irratated but had to mentally stay calm as I live 160kms away from the nearest Vodacom store and I knew I wasnt going to be going any time soon. March was the longest month ever trying to stay calm. This service rendered my smart phone useless - why would anyone bother with such a service for a child then - I may as well give him an old SamsungB5 or Nokia that is just for sms and calling. What parent would spend a fortune on a smart phone then! God was good to me in that my son had a rugby tour coming up in Brits 4-7 April so I decided to stop first at Eastgate in Jhb to present my ID so I could have a fully functional phone again. I walked into Vodacom 10.12 and left 13.30 on the 4 April without any help. The consultant who assisted me said he had removed the block but nothing was changing. He then spoke to two different call centre operators who each said they had done it and I should switch my phone on and off. Well still nothing. I spoke to two different operators in between as well who each said they would phone me back because the system was slow. Neither one did. I eventually had to leave the store to get to Brits for my son's first Rugby match - the shop consultant said the call centre operator would log a service request for me and it would be resolved. Well 5 days later and still nothing. I then called the call centre today 8 April and was first told that a service request would be put in again but then was told that the supervisor says no I must go back to the Vodacom shop. I request to speak to supervisor so that she can explain why should I go back to the shop when I had already driven 160kms and spent three hours there with a consultant without any solution . She simply said that there is nothing she can do on her system and she cannot open another service request . She advises that I go to a different store and hope somebody is capable of helping me. I brought my side and can prove that I presented myself with my ID at a Vodacom shop but it matters nothing because I must hope and pray that at the next shop somebody is competent enough to do their job and earn their salary. This should have been as simple as presenting my ID , consultant unticking parental control service box on my number and away I could go . No this is not the case because I believe nobody knows how to do this and in the meantime my R5000 phone is useless to me!</p>